Improved mode of supporting reels for harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS I. STEALEY, OF MIDDLEBOURNE, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVED MODE OF SUPPORTING REELS FOR HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,871, dated December l5, 1857.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THoMAs I. STEALEY, of Middlebourne, in the county ofTyler and State ot' Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Supporting Reels for Reapers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this specicationj.

Figure l being a plan of a reaping-machine with iny improvement attached.; Fig. 2, an end view of the ,finger and cutter bars, rakingi'rame, and reel attached 5 Fig. 3, a vertical section in the plane indicated by the line x x, Fig. 1 5 Fig. 4, a vertical section in the plane indicated by the line y y, Fig. 1.; Figs. 5, 6, and 7, views of parts detached.

Li-ke letters designate corresponding parts in all the gures.

The driving parts ofthe machine are mounted in a rectangular frame, A, of suitable dimensions, and' to this the pole or tongue B is secured in any usual manner. The supportingwheels C D may properly be made of cast-iron, of sufiicient weight and size, and be provided with spurs a a to secure a rm hold upon the ground. One of these wheels, C, being the driving-wheel, should be iirmly secured to its axle D, while the other wheel, D, may turn freely upon the axle; or a ratchet-wheel and pawl, F, Figs. 5 and 6, may be placed Within or at the side of its hub, in order to enable this wheel also to assist in driving the working parts, and at the same time adapt itself to any difference of speed which may be required ot the two wheels by turning the machine.

On the axle b is situated a gear-wheel, E, which gears into a pinion, c, and on the arbor 4c of said pinion is a bevel-wheel, G, or its equivalent, which gears into a suitable pinion, g, on the crank-shaft H. From the crank d of this crank-shaft extends a pitman, I, to the cutter-bar M, with which it is connected by a` universal joint, m. This joint allows a free motion or adjustment of the cutter-barin any direction, and at the same time. enables the joints to be made strong and close, the crankshaftHalsobeingtirmlysupportedat bothends. The cutter-bar M is sunk entirely into and slides in a groove in the upper side of the finger-bar L, where it may be secured by buttons jj. The cuttersi may be separately secured to the cutter-bar or compose a single cutter-plate to be attached thereto. The guard-fingers kk are secured to the under side of the finger-bar L, and the notches or grooves through which the cutters pass should be sufficiently wide to allow space enough above the cutters to prevent the clogging of grass-blades therein-say one-fourth of an inch, more or less. The lower cutting-edges of the cutters should of course move in close contact with the lower sides of the fin ger-notches, andthe iin gers have a crossi section substantially ofthe form shown in Fig. 7, in order that the edges thereof, together with which the cutters act in cutting, may assist more in cutting and retain their sharpness as the top surface ofthe metal wears off.

The finger-bar L is provided with an arm, K, projecting upward from its inner end. This arm is provided with a set of holes at regular distances apart, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, through any one of which a bolt, l, passes, and through a corresponding hole in a bearing or hanger, J, attached to the frame A. On this bolt the finger-bar freely turns, so that it can be raised as far as desired from the ground, or adapt itself to any unevenness of the grounds surface. The outer end of the finger-bar is supported by a wheel, T, which runsin bearings U U, projecting backward from the end of said finger-bar. These bearings have a set of vertically-arranged holes, s s s, Fig. 2, corresponding in distance apart and height with the holes in the arm K at the inner end of the iinger-bar. The axle t of the wheel is inserted into any of these holes, corresponding with the hole in the arm K, which receives the pivot-bolt l, and thus the finger-bar is adjusted to any height from the ground desired, so as to leave a shorten or longer stubble at pleasure, also leaving the hinge movement of the linger-bar free and unimpeded in all adjustable positions given to said finger-bar. This vertical adjustment and the hinge movement ot' the lingerbar do not inthe least interfere with the motion communicated to the cutter-bar, since the employment of the crank and pitman for actuating the cutters admits such movement and adjustment without derangement, and the universal joint, which connects the pitman with the cutter-bar, preventsthe possibility of bindl in g from a crank,P, to the rake-carrier R. This ing the motion of said cutter-bar.

The rake platform or frame N, to'be used in reaping, is suitably secured at its front edge to the rear edge of-the linger-bar L. At the rear edge of the frame is a` strong brace or bar, V, one end ot' which projects from the inner corner of said frame, and is hinged by a bolt, Q,Fig. 3, to a hanger,.J, extending downward from the frame A. The hanger is adjustable vertically in its frame, or is provided with a series of holes at` distances apart and heights corresponding with those in the arm K of the finger-bar. Thus the rake-frame is allowed the same hinge movement and vertical adjustment as the linger-bar has, to which it is attached. A

Transversely over the rake-frame a set of rods, u u, or their equivalents, are secured, substantially as represented, toy receive the falling grain, and their outer ends, e u, turn upward at an inclination,so as to keep the grain above the wheel T and throw it inward at the outer edge suiiiciently to be reached by the rake, and also to give room for the teeth of the rake to turn up beneath. The grain is vdelivered over the inner edge of the rakeframe, where sufficient room should be allowed outside of the driving-wheel D for the deposit of bunches as large as desired.

The rake S is located just beneath the rods u u, so that its teeth, when upright, will project upward beycnd them and the grain thereon. The rake-head is pivoted at its ends in a carrier, R, the rear end of which slides between ways n u, located transversely along the rear edge of the rake-frame. This cross end, which slides in the ways, is extended as f far as the construction of the reaper will admit, in order to give a long bearing in the ways, and thereby prevent the racking of the carrier from its proper position, so as to impede its free motion. The rake-head, being pivoted in its bearings so as to turn freely forward one-fourth of a circle, or thereabout, as soon as it begins to retreat from the terminus ofit'sinward movement after having cast oft' abunch of grain, allowsits teeth to fall by their own weight, or the slightest resistance offered.

Uy the grain which lies on the supporting-rods u v u', to a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 4. Y In-order to raise the teeth again to a vertical position for action at the outer termination otl the rakes movement, a cam projection, p, Fig.v

^ 4, is secured to the rake-head at one end, and

a stop, o, is attached tothe rake-frame in a proper position to act upon the cam 'p just as the rake reaches the termination of its outward movement. When once the rake-teeth are brought to a vertical position, the rakehead not being allowed to turn backward any farther, the resistance of the grain against which the teeth are drawn keeps them upright. The reciprocating motion is communicated to the rake througha pitma-n, Q, extendcrank is secured to a shaft, O, which extends forward over the frame A and receives a revolving motion from a pinion,f, on the crankthe several sizes of thesegear-wheels gear accurately into the pinion f, the bearings a ot of the shaft O are arranged so as to be readily adjustable to various positions on the frame A, either in the manner represented in the drawings or by any other equivalent and convenient means. The employment of the crank and pitman P Q for communicating the motion to the rake allows this adjustment to be made without in the slightest degree disarranging the action of the rake, as well as allowing the vertical adjustment and hinge movement ot' the rake-frame without disarrangement of any part. To avoid variation of the limits of the rakes movement by the adjustment of the bearings a, a, the pitman Q may be lengthened or shortened by using a set of holes therein `to receive the wrist of the crank P.

The reelVV-is supported by armsXX,which are hinged to the back part of the rake-frame N, as represented in the drawings, whereby the reel may be swung over to the standing grain without interfering with the deposit of the falling grain or with the operation of the rake beneath. It is'often requisite, also, to have free access to the top of the rake-frame, and this method of hinging the reel thereto enables it to be swung back out of the way in such cases'. At some distance from the lower ends of the swinging' arms X X braces w w are hinged to a bar, X', connecting the arms X X, for the double purpose of strengthening the reel-frame and furnishing a support for these braces, which extend downward a sutticient length to reach the upper edge of the platform' or frame in whatever position the reel may be. The lower ends of said braces are curved and notched inthe outer edges of the curved portions, substantially as shown in Fig. 2. These notches receive or bear against the corners of the upper edge of the rakeframe, which should be a fewinches lowerthan the joints of the arms X X. The effect of this arrangement of the notched braces is to retain the reel atvarious heights, according to the particular notches which rest against the rakeframe, whether the reel is swung forward to the standing grain, as shown in black lines in Fig. 2, or swung back oi' from the rake-frame, as indicated by red lines in the saine ligure; and at the same time they brace or firmly hold the reel inthe different positions by reason oi' the eccentricity'of their points of support on the rake-frame from the center of the reels swinging movement. Motion is imparted to the reel by means of pulleys r r, attached relThe reel W, supported by hinged armsXX, in combination with the notched and adjustable braces ww, bar X', and rake-frame N, substantiall y as and for the purposes set forth.

THOS. I. STEALEY.

Witnesses:

J. S. BROWN, R. F. OsGooD. 

